New 'Matrix' Isn't a Reboot, Just Reloaded a Little Bit More

The cyberpunk world of The Matrix is set to resume in a new film, but it looks like this film won’t be a reboot, but instead a continuation of the same universe depicted in the original trilogy. Zak Penn — rumored to be writing a new Matrix film — has clarified that if he were doing such a thing, by no means would the project be classified as a reboot.

On Wednesday, Penn took to Twitter and made it clear that any attempt to reboot The Matrix would be folly. “No one could or should reboot The Matrix,” he said, seemingly laying to rest the idea that a new series of films wouldn’t honor the continuity of Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus established by the Wachowskis over a decade ago. Penn made it clear that the words “remake” and “reboot” were found exclusively in the Hollywood Reporter article, which broke the news, and said “Let’s stop responding to inaccurate news.”

All I can say at this point is no one could or should REBOOT the Matrix. People who know Animatrix and the comics understand.

Penn is the screenwriter on Ready Player One, the forthcoming film adaptation of the mega-popular Ernest Cline novel of the same name. Like The Matrix, Ready Player One also features characters who spend the majority of their time in cyberspace while their bodies are strapped into a chair in the “real world” elsewhere. Meaning, even though the Wachowskis haven’t yet been connected to the rumored new Matrix, Penn is a good fight based on experience alone. “Do I want to see more stories set in the universe of The Matrix?” Penn said. “Yes. Because it’s a brilliant idea that generates great stories.”

At present, Zak Penn has not officially been confirmed for screenwriting duties on the new Matrix movie, which is definitely not a reboot, but might be, just a little bit, reloaded.